1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the care or maintenance of medical and dental instruments and to a maintenance locale or installation for implementing this process.
2. Discussion or the Prior Art
The disclosure of European Laid-Open Patent Appln. 0173 876 sets forth a method and an arrangement for the cleaning, disinfection and sterilizing of such kinds of instruments; wherein the method is carried out in a container filled with a liquid and with cleaning media while the liquid is subjected to ultrasonic energy during the cleaning procedure. The cleaning is subdivided into a rough or preliminary cleaning and to a fine cleaning, and is then followed by a drying procedure.
The disclosure of German Laid-Open Patent Appln. 36 01 744 teaches a method for the cleaning and disinfection of medical instruments through a program-control automatic rinsing or scavenging installation, whereby a rinsing or scavenging liquid containing heated cleaning and rinsing media is applied by means of a spraying arrangement directed against the instruments which are to be cleaned. Thereafter, there is undertaken a final cleaning and drying procedure.
From the disclosure of Swiss Patent 637,041 there has become known an arrangement for the cleaning of stoppers, in which the process steps provide for cleaning, maintenance with silicon oil, final cleaning, sterilizing and drying. Associated therewith are further process steps in which there are employed detergent solutions.
The brochure "PERO Reinigungs-und Entfettungsautomaten Modell 2500", issued by the German company Hahn & Kolb, discloses a mechanical cleaning and degreasing of non-cuttingly or cuttingly machined metal parts, whereby a re-oiling device is employed for conservation purposes, which conducts solvents enriched with preserving oil over the material being cleaned. The solvent evaporates, the preserving medium remains adherent and forms a protection against corrosion.
From the disclosure of German Petty Patent 18 86 266 there is considered to be known an arrangement for the cleaning of medical instruments, in which stands or uprights are located in the rinsing chamber of a rinsing machine, on which there are supported or from which there are suspended syringes which are to be cleaned.
Inherent to the first-mentioned three processes is the disadvantage that there must be employed detergents or cleaning media, whereby each respective process is lacking in individual important steps.
As a result thereof, the environment is contaminated and the operating personnel subjected to a high workload and; at this time, a plurality of separate apparatuses are required, such that the entire process and the therewith associated installations become complex, cannot be monitored and are resultingly expensive, in which during a possibly required maintenance procedure there is, however, again the effectiveness of the preceding disinfection.